Isinbayeva over the top
ByReuters
Published 09/08/2006 at 09:57 GMT
World and Olympic champion Yelena Isinbayeva successfully began her quest for the only major title she is missing by qualifying for the pole vault final at the European championships on Wednesday.
ATHLETICS 2006 European Champs Russias Yelena Isinbayeva
Image credit: Reuters
Isinbayeva, who suffered a rare defeat in the run up to the championships when she lost to Poland's Monika Pyrek in Stockholm last month, cleared the qualifying height of 4.40 metres on her second attempt.
"I had a soft pole on my first try," the Russian said. "On the second I changed and it was okay. Otherwise all is okay. The key thing is just to keep my shape."
Pyrek and defending champion Svetlana Feofanova both went over 4.40 at the first time of asking and could give the world record holder a run for her money in Saturday's final.
Portugal's newly-crowned 100 metres champion Francis Obikwelu made it through to the second round of the 200 as he attempts to become the first man to complete a European sprint double since 1978.
Obikwelu, who won Tuesday's 100 final in a championship record of 9.99 seconds, barely broke sweat as he eased to victory in his heat in 20.78
Medal rival Ronald Pognon of France pulled out of the event with a thigh injury.
European record holder Simon Vroemen won a slow heat of the 3,000 metres steeplechase in eight minutes 29.62 seconds to go through to Friday's final.
Defending champion Antonio David Jimenez of Spain led home the other heat in 8:24.12.
A Spanish medal sweep could be on the cards with bronze medallist from 2002 behind Jimenez and Vroemen, Jose Luis Blanco, and Cesar Perez also qualifying.
Two-times hammer world champion Ivan Tikhon of Belarus qualified for Friday's final with a best throw of 77.21 metres.
Finland's Olli-Pekka Karjalainen was best in qualifying with 79.00. Karsten Kobs of Germany was the only other man over the automatic qualifying distance on 77.50, which the 1999 world champion beat by two centimetres.
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement